WASHINGTON, DC -- U.S. Senator Pat Roberts today announced the Republican members of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration selected him to be the Committee's ranking member for the 113th Congress. The selection must next be approved by a vote of the entire Senate Republican Conference on January 22, 2013.

"As ranking member," Roberts said, "I will vigorously defend minority rights in the Senate as debate begins on rules for the 113th Congress. The Majority Leader has already threatened to resort to the nuclear option and destroy critical checks and balances in the Senate. Senate institutional rules must not be broken merely to suit the party in power."

The Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, one of the oldest committees of the United States Senate, oversees Senate rules and procedures. As ranking member, Roberts will play a valuable role in campaign finance reform and oversight of federal election law in addition to changes to Senate rules.

Roberts has experience with rules and administration oversight. In the House of Representatives, Roberts served as a key member of the House Administration Committee. He was responsible for numerous reforms that modernized and streamlined House operations. Under his leadership on the committee, scandals involving the House bank, the House restaurant and the House post office were cleaned up and reforms were passed to prevent mismanagement and corruption.

Senator Roberts remains a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, the Senate Finance Committee, the Rules Committee and the Senate Select Committee on Ethics.

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